Improved apparatus for rolling tapered metallic rods



NNITED STATES PATENT Trice..

IMPROVED APPARATUS 'FOR ROLLING TAPERED METALLIC RODS. i

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. @,055, dated April 22,1851.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, 'VILLIAM CLAY, of Clif ton Lodge, in the county ofCumberland, engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, haveinvented Improvements in Machinery for Rolling Iron or other Metals; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descriptionof my said invention.

Myinvention of certain mprovementsin machinery for rolling iron or othermetals is designed to produce by the process of rolling bars of taperforms-as, for instance, wedgeshaped bars or conical bars. The taperingof metal oars I effect by allowing one of the shaping-rollers to recedegradually from the other as the rolling operation goes on, and thuseularge the space or distance between the rollers, whcrebythe metal,inpassing between them, is made to assume a gradually-increasingthickness, either in a wedge, conical, or other form, according to theshape of the grooves cut in the rollers.

My invention consists in the adaptation to rolling machinery of pistonsbearing against confined columns of water or other non-elastictransversely through the head of one ofthe standards wherein thebearings of the journals of the rollers are mounted, showing the piston,its rod, and appendages, with the column of water against which thepiston bears, and the valve whereby a small quantity of the uid may heallowed gradually to escape. Fig. 2 represents a partial front view ofthe rollers, the bearings, and part of the regulating apparatus in thehead of the standard, being shown in section. Of course it will beunderstood that two such standards support the ends of the rollers.Fig.3isahorizontal section taken on the line l 2 of Fig. l, showing theparts inverted or as seen from below; and Fig. ais another horizontalsection taken on the upper side in the line 3 4 of Fig. l, showing theentrance and exit valves of the chamber of water andthe means of workingor regulating the exit-valve. In the rolling-mills usually employed forrolling bar-iron the rollers are generally mounted in iXed bearing orbearings, which, during the operation ot' rolling, are renderedimmovable by being maintained in their places by strong screws or bolts.

In my improved machinery or apparatus the ends of the bearing A of theupper roller are let into grooves in the standards, as in ordinaryrolling-mlls, in such a manner as to admitotl their sliding up and downtherein, in order that by so sliding the parallel distance between therollers may be allowed to change.l

The rising of the bearings with the upper roller is regulated andgoverned by 'piston-rods a, which rest on the tops of the bearings, theupper end of the piston-rod being connected to the solid piston b of thehydraulic cylininder or water-chamber c, as shown in Figs. l and 2. Thiscylinder c is lled with water or other non-elastic Huid or liquid, andis furnished with leather or other suitable packing for the purpose ofpreventing any leakage of the water. The packing is kept in its place bya metallic ring or plate, d, which is firmly secured to the body of thecylinder by strong screw-bolts. The cylinder is supplied with water fromany convenient 'source by a lateral tube, p, (shown in Fig. 4.) throughthe rising feed-valve e, the construction and operation of which will beclearly understood by referring to the drawings.

fis the exit-valve, through which, when partially open, the water isallowed to escape from the chamber c on pressure being applied to thelower end of the rod a, by which pressure the piston l) will be made torise and partially to expel the water, as will be the case when a bar ofiron is passed between the shaping-rollers B B. The valve fisconstructed in such a manner that the opening for the discharge ot' thewater may be regulated with the greatest exactness by merely advancingor receding the plug g, worked by the screw at its back end, and theeffect of which will beto open or close the valve to any extent that maybe required. There is a slight spring behind the plug g, which is merelyintended to push it forward and close the aperture of the valve when theupward pressure of the piston is not in action, as will be the case whenthe rolling operation is suspended. An additional valve, h, is also madeto communicate with the exit-passage t'. This valve, however, is alwayskept closed by a strong spring, as shown, and will never allow any waterto escape this way from the cylinder, except when any extraordinarypressure takes place, at which time the power ot' the spring will beovercome, and, by yielding, prevent the machinery from being too greatlystrained.

In introducinginto my improved machinery a mass of iron between theshaping-rollerssay fQI' the purpose of producing a wedgeformed barhaving parallel edges-I employ a pair of rollers o't' the ordinary kindhaving the grooves and iianges, as shown atm mmm in Fig. 2. The mass ot'iron being about to be 'introduced between the rollers in the iirstgroove, I open the valvef by withdrawing the screw behind the plug g tosuch an extent as will allow the escape ot' water from the chamber c inasmall current, regulating the opening for the intended dischargeaccording to the required taper of the bar to be formed, the requiredextent of which opening will readily be found by the experience ot' theworkman. The operation of rolling now proceeding, the pressure of themetal passingoetween therollers will cause the bearings of the upperroller to rise and force up the piston-rod a, in doing which the pistonwill be made to rise in the chamber c,- but the ascent ot' the pistonbeing resisted by the non-elastic iiuid in the chamber c, the escape ofwater through the valvef and outlet t' must take, place to allow ot' theascent of the piston, and consequently the separation of the rollers.According,vthere fore, to the rate ofthe escape ofwater will the taperor inclined shape of the bar to be produced be determined.

It will thus be seen that by my improved apparatus the process ofrolling metals is carried on much in the usual manner, except that byvmeans of opening the valve more or less the escape ofthe water from thechamber will allow the upper roller to rise, and consequently give therequisite tapered form to the bar under operation, according to therapidity with which the water is allowed to How out of the chamber. As 1do not intend to confine myself to any particular forms of bars to beproduced by my improved machinery, it is not necessary to describe moreprecisely the shapes of the rollers. I will therefore only add that byforming the grooves of the rollers-in elliptical shapes, as ata a inFig. 2, I am enabled -by the gradual rise oi' one of the rollers andrepetitions of the rolling operation to produce bars of conical figures.

It is sometimes desirable to roll a bar taper or wedge formed for aportion of its length and level for the remainder of its length. Forthis purpose it will be necessary to allow the upper roller to rise to acertain distance only, and then to stop. This I effect by means ot' adjusting-screws k c-one over each bearing of the rollers-similar to thoseheretofore used, except that it is through the axes of theseadjusting-screws, forming guides, that the pistonrods a pass, as shownin the drawings at Fig. 1, and it will therefore be understood thatwhen, by the escape of the water from the chamber, the bearings of therollers have been allowed to force up the piston-rod and the piston acertain determined distance, then the upper edge of the bearing Aoi.5Vthe top -roller will come into contact with the under side of theadjusting-screw k, beyond which it cannot rise; and as the bea-ring willfor the time become fixed the bar of iron Linder operation will, for theremaining portion of the process, be rolled parallel. The adj nstiiig-screw 7tpasses through a hollow s crew made in a socket fixed in theframe, and the screw can easily be raised or lowered, so as to limit therise ofthe bearing A by merely turning the hand-wheel l, attached to itslower part.

.It may be as well to observe that the standards or housings may be ofany convenient known pattern, and thatalever or other known balance maybe used with advantage to support the rollerin its rise and fall. Aportion, also, of the head ofthe standard in which the piston works ismade removable for the purpose of getting at the piston and packing whenrequired, as will be seen at q q in Figs. 2 and 3.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. Permitting the rollers to recede from each other by means of thehydraulic apparatus constructed and arranged substantially as described.

2. The adjustable screw lc, Figs. 1 and 2, in conjunction with theapparatus claimed above, whereby bars of metal are enabled to be rolledtaper for a portion of their length and parallel for the remaining partthereof.

In witness whereof I, the said WILLIAM CLAY, have hereunto set my handthis 8th day of November, in the year ofour Lord 1850.

WILLIAM CLAY.

Witnesses:

J. W. MoFFA'r'r, FRED. WALKDEN, Clerks t0 Newton d'; Son, GG ChanceryLane,

London.

